Hollywood unions announce broad deal to allow movie production to resume

A group of Hollywood unions on Monday announced a deal with major film and TV studios to resume production after many projects were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Directors Guild of America, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Basic Crafts unions and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists publicized on Monday the agreement reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. 

According to the Associated Press, the deal includes provisions for how to safely conduct work and prevent the spread of COVID-19, including the mandatory use of protective gear and testing of cast and crew members, with those who must regularly come into contact with people being tested more frequently. 

The agreement also stipulates the implementation of a “zone system” to reduce interactions among people by dividing them based on their job’s requirements, as well as a coronavirus supervisor to ensure compliance with health guidelines. The deal also grants each employee 10 days of paid COVID-19 sick leave. 

The unions said in a statement that “the protocols pave the way for creative workers, who have been hard hit by the pandemic, to resume their crafts and livelihoods in workplaces redesigned around their health.” 

In May, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger announced that “many” of the 890,000 film and entertainment workers in Hollywood were out of a job due to the pandemic. 

California has been one of the U.S. states hit hardest by the pandemic, with a total of 781,694 reported COVID-19 cases as of Monday. According to the state’s health department, Los Angeles has recorded 260,770 positive cases, far surpassing all other California counties.